PRESS PLAY
A podcast on all things General Aviation from the team at VSL Aviation.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Seth Lake makes aviation regulations and checkride standards usable by tying them to realistic cockpit decisions and instructor scenarios.
The VSL Aviation Podcast turns general aviation instruction into working sessions with a clear practical aim. Host Seth Lake, a professional pilot and DPE, moves between checkride preparation and operational judgment, explaining how regulations apply when an aircraft has…
A missing cotter pin makes your next preflight feel a lot less like checking boxes.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A checkride focused aviation lesson that turns airworthiness details into something useful.
This episode keeps its focus on checkride judgment and the places applicants slip, with Jeremy Lashbrook tying inoperative equipment, KOELs, and aircraft specific procedure to the real airplane in front of you.
A practical walk-through of oxygen systems, pressurization, and the small decisions that matter above the weather.
The episode keeps high-altitude flying grounded in practical terms. Seth Lake walks through oxygen delivery types, FAA requirements, flow settings, oxygen-use calculations, and cabin-pressurization maintenance without losing the thread, and the live Q&A gives the whole thing the…
A practical examiner's pass through the checkride gaps that keep catching pilots.
Nick Adcock keeps the checkride focus on the problems examiners keep seeing: rusty airspace knowledge, cloud clearance rules, special use airspace, pattern work, and applicants who wait for the examiner to solve things for them.
A practical bird-strike seminar with more operational use than polish.
This episode treats bird strikes as an operating issue rather than a talking point, and the live-seminar format gives it a grounded, classroom feel. Seth Lake moves through a bit of history, ways to potentially avoid strikes, reporting steps, and what may follow after an impact.
A focused charter-versus-lease discussion built around a practical operational test.
The episode keeps its attention on charter-versus-lease questions, with Edward Hadley and Seth Lake walking through the rules in a plain, workable way.
A practical reminder that the most important inspection is the one after maintenance.
This review treats pre-flight inspection as a working discipline, not a ritual. It moves through Arkansas accident examples to show how a missed throttle linkage, a forgotten cotter pin, or a throttle issue after maintenance can end in a forced landing.
A live, practical Q&A that turns aviation edge cases into usable judgment.
This episode reads like a live aviation Q&A, with Seth Lake taking questions from Discord, YouTube, and Instagram while John helps keep Discord on track.
A practical first step into the CFI ACS, centered on scenario-based evaluation.
The episode opens the CFI ACS in practical terms, beginning with FAA 8900.1, Volume 5, Chapter 2, Section 1, and pointing to Area of Operation 1, Task A.
Helicopter safety, one cockpit lesson at a time.
Anonymous aviation stories with hangar-floor judgment.
Optometry practice, talked through plainly.
Pilot-controller shop talk with operational teeth.
Airline news, measured by money.
Seth Lake opens the VSL Aviation Podcast with the first part of a CFI ACS series, starting at Area of Operation 1, Task A.
This podcast segment introduces a discussion on professionalism and culture in aviation, focusing on building a safer cockpit environment, with plans for Q&A from Discord and YouTube.
Seth Lake presents a live FAA safety seminar on bird strikes and wildlife strikes.
Seth Lake talks with attorney Edward Hadley to unpack legal charter, illegal charter, and the FAA idea of holding out.
Seth Lake opens the stream with a live question-and-answer session.
The seminar focuses on enhanced preflight inspection.
Seth Lake uses the VSL Aviation Podcast to explain how pilot-in-command duties differ from an operator's broader operational-control responsibilities.
Host Seth Lake interviews Jeremy Lashbrook, an experienced DPE, on checkride insights covering preparation, common mistakes in airworthiness, oral exams, and flight maneuvers.
Seth Lake dives into high-altitude operations, covering oxygen systems and cabin pressurization for general aviation pilots.
Seth Lake interviews designated pilot examiner Nick Adcock, who shares practical advice for pilots preparing for checkrides.